Denture demonstrators



Jan. 1 7, R F SMOLKA 2fl3m5 DENTURE DEMONSTRATORS Filed May 5, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 5055??" Swim/w Jan. 17, 1956 R. F. SMOLKA DENTURE DEMONSTRATORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 3, 1954 L INVENTOR; Wwmr f 6mm m fl7'7'0/P/Yf) United States Patent DENTURE DEMONSTRATORS Robert F. Smolka, Longmont, Colo.

Application May 3, 1954, Serial No. 427,209

8 Claims. (Cl. 32-71) will be securely and resiliently held in their natural in use position.

A further object is to provide a mask of the mouth portion of a human face for displaying the dentures which .Will have the natural appearance and natural feel and resiliency of the human mouth so that the lips may be manually deflected to display the gums similarly to the manner in which they would be displayed in actual use.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity,

economy, and efliciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Lil-1e numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the improved denture display device in the closed position with a sample denture in place therein;

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the flexibility of the mouth portion of the device;

Fig. 3 is a right side view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through the device taken on the line 4-4, Fig. 1, with a sample denture illustrated in place therein;

Fig. 5 is a similar vertical longitudinal section through the device in the open position ready to receive a sample denture;

Fig. 6 is a rear view of the device in the open position of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section looking downward on the line 7-7, Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is a rear view of the device in the closed position.

The device is formed from molded plastics and comprises the following principal elements: a rigid hollow base box 10; a rigid, hinged cap portion 11; a rigid face ring 12; and a flexible face portion 13.

The base box 10 is formed from a suitable semi-rigid plastic material such as methal-methacrylate plastic and is formed with a bottom plate 14 and an upper or occlusal plate 15 which closely approximates the position of the incisal plane of the dentures to be demonstrated and displayed in the device. The occlusal plate 15 is rigidly supported from the bottom plate 14 by means of an integral enclosing wall which is U-shaped in plan and extends along both sides and across the rear of the two plates 14 and 15.

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The face ring 12 is cemented to or formed integrally with the enclosing wall of the box 10 and the forward edge of the bottom plate 14 as indicated by the joining line 16 and extends upwardly from and is arched above the occlusal plate 15.

The flexible face portion 13 is molded to conform to the mouth areas of a natural face and to provide a flexible top portion 25. The rear edges of the face portion 13 and the top portion 25 are cemented to or integrally united with the forward edge of the face ring 12 along a joining line 17.

The cap portion 11 is open at its bottom and at its forward extremity and is hingedly secured to and along the top of the face ring 12 by means of a suitable hinge structure 18 which may be molded from the same plastic material forming the face ring 12 and the cap portion 11.

A flexible palate model or cast 19 is attached to the cap portion 11 by means of flexible pedestals 20. The cast 19 is a positive model formed from an impression of the palate of a human mouth and conforms to the palate and mucosa of the mouth. The sample upper dentures to be displayed by the device are modeled to conform and fit to the cast 19. Such a sample denture is indicated at 21, the palate and peripheral borders of which fit the palate and ridges of the cast 19 so as to be accurately and resiliently supported.

The lips of the face portion 13, indicated at 22, are molded in a normal open, smiling position so as to expose the teeth 23 of the denture 21 when the cap portion 11 is in the closed position. The forward edge of the occlusal plate 15 is formed with an arcuate protrusion 27 which conforms to the shape of an assumed lower jaw and a frontal set of lower teeth 24 is cemented or otherwise secured around the arcuate protrusion so as to properly articulate with the upper teeth 23 when the cap portion is in the closed position.

In use, the cap portion is opened to the position of Figs. 5 and 6. The denture 21 is impressed on the resilient cast 19 and the cap portion 11 is swung downwardly toward the closed position. This will cause the front teeth of the denture to come into contact with the occlusal plate 15 and, as the cap portion 11 is still further closed, the teeth will slide forwardly on the occlusal plate 15, thence upwardly on beveled edges formed on the rear faces of the lower teeth 24 so as to assume proper articu lation when the cap portion 11 is completely closed. When closed, the flexible face portion 13 and lips 22 can be flexed with the fingers, as shown in Fig. 2, to expose the denture to the patient for inspection. The flexible top portion 25 facilitates manual elevation of the upper lip.

The dentures can be interchanged by simply opening the cap portion and replacing them on the cast.

It is desired to call attention to the fact that the lower front corners of the cap portion 11, indicated at 28, will first contact the occlusal plate 15 at a point slightly to the rear of their final position, as indicated in broken line in Fig. 3, so that the parts must be slightly flexed past the point of initial contact and will then resume their natural positions when the final closed position is reached so as to snap the cap portion 11 closed and retain it in the closed position to prevent accidental opening and damage to the denture.

An opening 26 of any desired shape may be formed in the back of the box portion to serve as a thumb grip for one hand while the cap portion is being opened and closed with the other hand.

The device may be made from any material suitable to provide a semi-rigid structure for the box 10, the face ring 12, and the cap portion 11, and a flexible, resilient structure for the model 19, the pedestals 20, the face portion 13, and the lips 22. The use of a resilient methacrylate, such as commercially known as Skin-Tex, has

surface coloration;

"flexible and semi-rigid structure.

It is. preferred to mold the lips 22 separately from the face portion 13 so that the lips may be molded from a natural lip colored methacrylate, and the face portion from a natural skin-colored'methacrylate so as to present a natural life-like appearance without the necessity for Since the plastic material is semiproperly a'ndfautomatically. The denture is automatically brought into the proper elevation and forward position due to .the fact that:

l. The lower support of the sample denture is obtained from the occ'lusal plate 15', which does not resist hori-' zontal movement of the denture.

2. The somewhat tapered design of the ridges in the cast 19 acts to center the denture sideways in the mouth.

3. The flexible properties of the cast 19 vectors the denture forward into contact with the flexible, but more res'istant, inside portion of the lips.

'While a specific form of the improvement has been .d escribedand' illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the. same maybe varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A- denture displaying device comprising: a base box;

a bottom plate in said box; a top plate in said box; a wall surrounding and joining the sides and rears of said top and bottom plates; an annular face ring secured to the front of said box and arching thereabove; a flexible face port'ion. secured to and. closing the front of said face ring, .said face portion being provided with a mouth and simulating the mouth area of a human face; said top plate lying substantially in the occlusalplane of said mouth; a frontal set of lower teeth mounted in the forward edge of said top plate and being visible through said mouth;

mounting means supported from said face ring above said top plate; and means for supporting a denture from said mountingv means in articulated relation to said lower teeth and visible through said mouth.

2'. A denture displaying device as described in claim 1 having a flexible top portion extending re'arwardly from the upper portion of said'face portion to said face ring to allowtheformer to be flexed upwardly and rearwardiy 3. A denture displaying device as described in claim 1 in which'th'e mounting means comprises; a cap portion having an open front and bottom and forming an arched enclosure over said top plate; hinge-means securing the upper forward extremity of said cap portion to said face ring; and a resilient palate cast mounted in said cap portion and adapted to support an upper denture over said top plate.

4. A denture displaying device as described in claim 3 having flexible pedestals mounting said cast on said cap portion to allow free flexure of saidcast.

5. A denture displaying'd'evic'e as described in claim 4 in which the forward extremity of said'acap portion and said hinge means are so related thatsaid forward extremity will contact said top plate before said cap portion reaches its final closed position so that said cap portion must be flexed when approaching or leaving its closed position, and in which the relation between said denture and said hinge means is such that said denture will encounter said top plate and act to flex said cast and. its mounting as said cap portion approaches the closed position.

6. A denture displaying device comprising: an'annul'ar, semi-rigid face ring; a'flexible face portion secured about its periphery to the forward edge of said ring and projecting forwardly therefrom, said face portion being molded to simulate the mouth and mouth areas of a human face; an occlusal plate supported from. and extending rearwardly of said -face ring and defining substantially the occlusal plane of. said mouth; lower teeth supported from said' occlu's'al plate rearwardly of said mouth and visible therethrough; a palate cast adapted to receive an upper denture; and means hinged to said face ring and supporting said palate cast so that said denture may be swung into articulated relation with said lower teeth.

7. A denture displaying device as described in claim 6 in which the means hinged to said face riiig comprises: a dome-shaped cap portionhaving an open. front and an open bottom and acting as a cover over said occlusal plate; and flexible supporting pedestals extending'from.

said cap portion, said palate cast being mounted on and supported from said pedestals.

.8. A denture displaying device comprising: a semirigid, annular face ring; a flexible model of the mouth areas of -a human face mounted on the forward portion of said face ring and extending forwardly therefrom. and provided with a mouth opening; a model representing human lips secured about the periphery of said mouth opening; teeth supporting means positioned in the occlusal plane of said mouth opening; a set of lower teeth supported by said teeth-supporting means; and means for hingedly supporting an upper denture in articulated relation'to said lower teeth, all of said teeth being positioned rearwardly of, and being visible through, said mouth opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

